Espenido assigned in Catanduanes

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines (Bicol Standard) — Police Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido will be assigned in the island province of Catanduanes, Police Regional Office 5 Information Office Chief Inspector Malu Calubaquib confirmed.

This is based on a memorandum dated Oct. 11, 2018 from the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management of Camp BGen Rafael T. Crame in Quezon City, signed by Police Director Lyndon Cubos.

Prior to this, Espenido was assigned at Police Regional Office 10 as chief of police of Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental.

Espenido also served as chief of police of Albuera, Leyte when police raided the house of then-Mayor Rolando Espinosa in 2016.

Espinosa was later killed while in detention, in what the National Bureau of Investigation said was a rubout and not a shootout.

On June 1, 2017, Espenido and his men conducted a "hot pursuit" operation against robbery suspects in Ozamiz City, which led to the killing of nine people.

Almost two months after the June 1 bloody operation, the police chief also led the raid in the residence of the late Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog where more than 10 people were killed.

Espenido's new assignment was received positively by netizens, as he was cited by President Rodrigo Duterte for his efforts in the government's drug war.

Calubaquib also informed the Bicol Standard that as of this writing, Espenido is still abroad while on leave. — with report from Kristine Joy Patag

Melissa Basmayor is the editor-in-chief of the Bicol Standard, a regional partner of Philstar.com.